Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a lock system with contact surfaces. More particularly, the invention relates to a method of coding a key and a female lock part of a lock of a locking system.
Discussion of Prior Art
French publication FR 2 877 974 A1 discloses a conventional method of coding parts of a lock system. The key and female lock part are each manufactured with the help of a blank and a separate component, namely, a specific coding part is provided to each part. The coding parts of the key and female lock part complement each other, so that the key is able to actuate the female lock part of the lock.
The surfaces of both components that make contact with each other, i.e., the coding part and the blank, are referred to as contact surfaces, and these interacting contact surfaces are constructed geometrically on the coding part and also on the blank, such, that they enable a plurality of different rotational positions, so that the same coding part may be selectively placed on the blank.
The coding parts may also be produced in small production runs and, because they may be affixed in different rotational positions to the blank, they always result in differently embodied keys or female lock parts, because the locking system is constructed such, that the key can only be guided into the female lock part in a pre-determined alignment. Thus, two keys can have identical coding parts, but they are assembled on their specific blanks at different angular positions. As a result, only one of these two keys can fit the corresponding female lock part, whereas the second key does not represent a functional key for this female lock part.